This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2005-200576 filed in Japan on Jul. 8, 2005, Patent Application No. 2005-243058 filed in Japan on Aug. 24, 2005, Patent Application No. 2005-256724 filed in Japan on Sep. 5, 2005, Patent Application No. 2005-272310 filed in Japan on Sep. 20, 2005, and Patent Application No. 2006-150196 filed in Japan on May 30, 2006 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to an image recording system in which a plurality of image recording apparatuses are used.
At present, copy machines, faxes, print apparatuses, and the like are absolutely necessary for clerical work in offices, and these copy machines, faxes, print apparatuses and the like are configured based on an image recording apparatus. Recently, attention is focused on an image recording apparatus as a compound machine that incorporates all of the functions of these copy machines, faxes, print apparatuses and the like. As its main function, this image recording apparatus is provided with a function to record an image of characters, figures, or the like on a recording medium such as sheet-like recording paper. Also, recording of this image includes recording of a monochrome image and recording of a color image.
Recently, due to an increase in the amount of clerical work, an improvement in the processing ability of the above image recording apparatus has been sought. As an improvement in the processing ability of the image recording apparatus, more specifically, an improvement in processing speed and an increase in the recording paper storage capacity are sought.
The image recording apparatus records an image on recording paper that is a recording medium, so an improvement in processing speed is an improvement in the speed with which an image is recorded on the recording paper and the recording paper is discharged. This processing speed is expressed by the number of sheets of recording paper recorded/discharged per unit time, so in the image recording apparatus, an improvement in the number of sheets of recording paper recorded/discharged per unit time is needed.
As a method for satisfying such a need for an improvement in the processing speed, other than a method that improves the processing speed of the image recording apparatus itself, a method is conceivable in which a plurality of portions that execute the recording function of the image recording apparatus are provided, and by using these simultaneously in parallel, an overall improvement in processing speed is achieved. Various proposals have been made for responding to the above requirement from this viewpoint (for example, see JP H8-305221A).
JP H8-305221A (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1) relates to a color print apparatus. This color print apparatus is configured using a plurality of color image forming apparatuses. With this color print apparatus, by using this plurality of color image forming apparatuses simultaneously in parallel, an overall improvement in processing speed is achieved.
Specifically, in the above color print apparatus, a pair is formed by one image forming apparatus that records an image on recording paper, and one multiple sheet feed apparatus that stores the recording paper supplied to this image forming apparatus. The combination of this pair of the image forming apparatus and the multiple sheet feed apparatus is disposed in a multi-unit case. Also, a discharge apparatus that is shared by the combination of the image forming apparatus and the multiple sheet feed apparatus is also disposed in the case.
That is, without including the multiple sheet feed apparatus in the above image forming apparatus, one image forming apparatus and one multiple sheet feed apparatus are combined, only the number of color print apparatuses (for example, two) necessary for this combination are disposed in the case, and a recording paper transport path and discharge apparatus suitable for the number of apparatuses in this combination are provided, thus configuring the color print apparatuses.
In the color print apparatuses of above Patent Document 1, when only one image forming apparatus is sufficient for processing ability, a color printing apparatus may be formed that has been configured with only this one image forming apparatus. However, even when attempting to form a color printing apparatus configured with a plurality of the above image forming apparatuses, for example two image forming apparatuses, using a color print apparatus that has been configured with only one image forming apparatus that differs from above Patent Document 1, it is difficult to form a color printing apparatus by simply combining two of the color print apparatuses that have been configured with only one of this image forming apparatus.
That is, with the color print apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, as described above, inside the case of the color print apparatus, a combination of only the necessary number of image forming apparatuses and multiple sheet feed apparatuses is disposed, and recording paper transport paths suitable for the number of apparatuses in this combination are provided, thus configuring the color print apparatuses. In an apparatus that uses two image forming apparatuses in this manner, reconfiguration is necessary, including the case and the post-recording transport path.
Also, with the color print apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a pair is formed by one image forming apparatus and one multiple sheet feed apparatus that stores the recording paper supplied to this image forming apparatus, while on the other hand, with a color print apparatus in which one image forming apparatus is provided, only one multiple sheet feed apparatus can be used. Thus, with a color print apparatus in which one image forming apparatus is provided, it is difficult to handle in increase in the amount of recording paper.
Incidentally, in recent color and monochrome image recording apparatuses, as an image forming unit, ordinarily only one color or monochrome image forming unit is provided, but often a plurality of recording paper storage trays are included as recording paper storage trays. With this sort of image recording apparatus, a recording media storage tray or a recording media storage apparatus for storing recorded recording paper that is discharged from the image forming unit is attached, and independently used as a stand-alone device.
Accordingly, if a plurality of independent devices that include a plurality of recording paper storage trays and can be independently used can be lined up and configured as a single system, an image recording system with high cost performance can be formed without separately developing a special large device.